Curse of the Scourge
by XForceflowX
Summary: Glou Nox is dead. Vox now takes the centrestage... to total war. [Chpt2 Up]
1. Chpt 1: Taking the Reins

I've always been curious as to how the war actually began. The idea that Vox used to be an honourable man seems stuck in my head. Put it together with the fact that the Scourge possess those who are too weak to wield it and there you go.

This fic is my take on the events leading up to full-blown war.

Disclaimer: Star Ocean 3 and its characters are property of Tri-Ace and Square-Enix. Both of which are, unfortunately, not owned by this fan.

For my younger bro, whom i had to beat into submission to proofread this... XD

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_'Wield me, worthy one,_  
_the sky we shalt cleave._  
_Touch me but once, worm,_  
_your life be forfeit.'_

_A raving lunatic found in the dungeons of Airyglyph._

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**Chapter 1: Taking the Reins**

The blizzard was gaining strength every minute. The few people left in the streets hurried home; the prospect of a warm fireplace and shelter hurrying their pace. The castle itself was protected from the worst of the cold. But it's mood was even more so.

Glou Nox was dead.

The Captain of the Dragon Brigade, the faithful servant of Airyglyph, had shielded his only son in his failed Accession of the Flame, sacrificing his life in the process. Months had passed since his funeral and yet the inhabitants of the castle still grieved his passing, struggling to come to terms with their loss.

Most of them in any case...

The sound of armour clanking on stone steps roused the Guard's attention. Shaking the temptations of sleep from his mind, he readied his halberd on the off-chance of trouble.

His fears were unfounded as a group of Knights from the Dragon Brigade descended the stairs and stood to attention in front of the great doors to the treasury.

"Isn't it a bit late to be up and about lads?" The old soldier sighed. "And what in the world are you all doing here? It's restricted here."

"Don't give them a hard time; they're here on my order." A voice echoed from the steps.

"And whose might that be?" he remarked as he turned to face the new arrival. His jaw promptly dropped to the floor as he recognised the face of the voice. "...Milord..."

Duke Vox nodded to the old soldier as he descend the steps, his second-in-command and his adjutant both following him closely. "The doors," he gestured to the treasury, "open them."

"But... milord," the guard stammered.

"Just open them; I'm not after that bauble. I'm here to claim _it_."

The guard's eyes widened, "You mean..."

"Yes, the Crimson Scourge, the time for mourning is over. We must move forward from the loss. Open the doors."

"...Yes milord." Releasing the bolts on the door, the guard pushed the doors open.

"No one is to enter unless I give the word. Close the door once we enter." Duke Vox ordered as he strode through the door.

"My lord is this wise?" Duke Vox turned to regard his adjutant who had followed him in. A young knight by the name of Arix, he had served him faithfully for a number of years.

"This is the path we have to take Arix," the door closed behind them with a thud, "The loss of Lord Glou and the incapacitation of his son has dealt a great blow to our Brigade and morale. The faster I assume the full vestiges and responsibilities of my new post, the better for our kingdom. The last thing we need now is a hostile nation taking advantage of our weakness."

"A hostile nation? You mean Aquaria? But our relations with our neighbour have been cordial even before our king took the throne."

"Not exactly the Apris-lovers. As long as we let worship the sun they'll do us no harm. No, I'm more concerned with Greeton. A full invasion led by their iron men will sweep us _and _Aquaria from this continent." Arix paused to ponder the uncomfortable thought.

"Cheer up," Vox smiled warmly at the troubled young man, "Hopefully it won't come to that."

He strode up to the pile of gold and precious jewels lying in the vault of the Castle. Right in the middle, sticking out of the rest of the treasures was the ancient sword, the Crimson Scourge.

Suppressing the quaver in his voice, he spoke, "I am Duke Vox, Captain of the Dragon Brigade, loyal servant of King Airyglyph XIII, long may he reign on the throne."

"I hereby ask for you to lend me your strength, so that I can better serve my King and Kingdom," he concluded, bowing deeply towards the daemonic blade.

The temperature in the chamber plunged as the last word left Duke Vox's lips. Arix looked around frantically, his hand on the hilt of his sword, trying to find the source of the cold. Wind whipped around the Crimson Scourge, jangling the scattered treasure around it, impossibly forming words with the sounds of precious metals clanking against one another…

_Take my hilt human…_

His hands trembling slightly, he gripped the hilt of the Scourge reverently with both hands. Try as he might he could not lift the blade out of the treasure pile.

_Fool, do not waste your strength… _A voice spoke in his head; _you will not lift me until I accept you as my master._

"Wha… what is that you want?"

_What is it that you hate?_

"Wha..?"

_What do you hate, puny human? _

"I.. I hate Lord Glou for his early departure, leaving our Kingdom weak…"

_Worm! Do not lie to me! I see through to your soul. You hate him for holding a place that rightfully belonged to you._

"! No, that's not true; I respect him with al-"

_Lies! You hate his son for what he may become; HE is the rightful heir to Captaincy of the Dragon Brigade._

"But h-"

_He failed? Didn't you have a hand in that? The son is so like his father, both need to die. Pity he didn't._

"I-"

_You hate the King for not strengthening the Kingdom, letting it be weak compared to its neighbours. These 'concessions' are all a farce to weaken and destroy our land, don't you think so?_

Vox dropped to his knees, unable to bear the torment.

_You hate Aquaria for possessing land that rightfully belongs to Airyglyph; you hate Greeton for the threat that they pose to the Kingdom and yourself; you hate the weak soldiers of the Brigades, unable to defend their homes; you hate that fool Arix, always trailing you like a dog; you hate the Dragons, such unwilling mounts and never enough of them to go around; you hate Count Woltar, always reigning in your plans; youhatethecommonpeoplepointingatyouwhisperingbehindyourbackyouhatethosethatbelieveyoushouldnotbetheCaptainoftheDragonBrigadeyouhate…_

_youhate…_

_youhate…_

_youhate…_

_..You hate yourself too don't you?_

Vox screamed as his mind crumbled, his hands falling from the hilt of the sword.

"Mi'lord!" Arix ran up to his Captain, sword drawn. "Let us get out of here, forget the blasted swor-"

Arix looked down in shock at the sword that was now embedded in his chest. Blood spurted from his chest as Vox twisted and withdrew the blade. The young knight dropped to his knees as his strength ebbed from his body. Looking up into the face of his captain, he barely had enough time to mouth his question before his head flew off.

The doors swung open as the Knights outside finally disengaged the lock, running in with swords ready. They stopped and gasped in shock at the body of Arix.

"What are you waiting for! Secure this area; there may be more spies around!" Vox snarled at them.

Snapping out of their shocked stupor, they began a quick search of the chamber and the floor, ingrained patterns of training taking hold.

The Sergeant of the Guard stepped forward to Duke Vox hesitantly, "Mi'lord, are you alright?"

"I'll be alright once this place has been searched thoroughly."

"It will be done… What happened mi'lord ?"

"Arix was a traitor," Vox kicked the lifeless body of his former adjutant, a malevolent glint in his eyes, "A traitor and a spy. He tried to kill me while I was retrieving the Crimson Scourge. Fortunately I was quick enough to kill him before he did his deed."

"A- A- A traitor! Arix!"

"Of course he was one! What, you doubt my words?" Vox snapped at the luckless sergeant.

"I'm- I'm sorry mi'lord… But a spy for whom?"

"That is a question I would like answered as well," Vox wiped the blood from his blade and sheathed it in its scabbard, "very much so…"

His eyes narrowed as the Knights reported the floor clear. "We're leaving this place. Until such a time when the traitor's paymaster is found, the taking of the Crimson Scourge will be put on hold. Move out."

With Duke Vox at its head, the Dragoons left the Treasury and marched back up into the castle.

Back in the Treasury, the blood from Arix's body flowed towards the hoarded treasure. Inexplicably, the blood flowed _up_ the slope of precious metal, pooling at the base of the Crimson Scourge.

With relish, it drank the fallen's blood.

To Be Continued...


	2. Chpt 2: To Train a Pawn

Mina-san, domo arigatou.

First off, an apology to everyone who's been waiting , I'm actually in the army and that doesn't leave me much time to do writing; but 'll do what i can So please keep watching this spot.

To Blue Trillium:

Thanks for the encouragement. ) Vox's part in Albel's ceremony is something I cooked up. He wouldn't do anything truly outrageous to try and harm him (i think... ;). But he very likely could have influenced him into acting weirdly or such.

To Raven The Dark Angel :

Thanks for pointing that out, I work harder to keep such mistakes out. The Scourge feels like an arrogant blade to me. For it to see everything else as beneath him was something that came naturally.

To Lucrecia LeVrai:

sweatdrop Uh, others just have their preferences, wahaha... I try not to disappoint you

Disclaimer: Star Ocean 3 and all characters are owned by Square-Enix and Tri Star. Wish they were mine though...

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**Chapter 2: To Train a Pawn**

"But mi'lord, you can't see him like this! Hes still recoveri-"

"Woman," the word emerged in a growl, "do not get in my way."

The maid's face turned pale and she shrank from the Duke, a whimper barely escaping her lips.

The door slammed open as Duke Vox kicked it open. In a corner a young man… no… boy… a one-armed boy, broken in spirit sat in a wooden chair in a corner. Dull eyes open, yet not seeing the world, from the window in front of which he sat.

"…And just how long are you going to mop around, Nox."

Albel Nox, formerly of the Dragon Brigade, sat unmoving in his chair; appearing not to have registered the Duke's words.

"How long are you going to stay like this? Now more than ever, when Airyglyph needs you to be strong, you despair and waste away," Vox glared at Albel, "I thought you were stronger than that."

As if finally registering his presence, Albel's head inclined towards him, albeit slightly, "…Leave me alone…Don't come here to gloat…"

"Gloat? As if I could be bothered about you. I'm here to kick your sorry ass back into the world! Airyglyph has spent far too much on you to let your body go to waste," the Duke took a deep breath, preparing himself for the storm that would surely engulf him.

"Your father would have been ashamed of you."

With cat-like grace, Albel leapt from the chair. Hazel eyes flashing with fury as he struck the Duke. Vox flew out of the doorway, crashing in a suit of armour; scattering it and the cowering maids outside the door. Albel stood in the doorway, a feral rage in his eyes, his body trembled as he suppressed the urge to rip the maggot in front of him apart.

"…Do not speak of him…worm…"

Vox stood, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth, "That was the best you could give Albel? Your time spent in Aquaria has made you weak." He grinned as he threw caution to the wind, "He should be ashamed of himself too, for what he made you to be."

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It would be a warm day in an Airyglyphian winter if anything was to happen. The tower guard shuffled along their prescribed routes, periodically checking the ballistae in their areas. It was just an hour till the next shift change, Sergeant Criid thought, just one more bloody hour and he could retire to hot food and a warm bed.

Just another day in castle Airyglyph.

The stone wall above the battlements exploded outwards, raining rock and debris on the stunned guards. Screaming bloody murder, the armoured soldiers ran for their lives; some flinging themselves down to the training ground below in desperation.

Out of the dust cloud, an armoured figure flipped backwards, landing gracefully on the rock-strewn battlements.

"! Lord Vox?" Criid was stunned. The Duke was fighting? In the castle! And someone had him on his back foot? Who in the world could be strong enough to force the Duke to fight defensively? …Wait a minute, he thought, theres one but… nah it couldn't be…

Albel flew out of the hole, eager for blood.

…then again it could…

Criid slapped his helmeted forehead, a long suffering look on his face. "They just couldn't wait another hour…"

It was going to be a long day…

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Vox brought up his longsword into a guard position as Albel leapt down at him. Sidestepping, he deflected Albel's katana to the stone floor of the battlements with a downward slash. His eyes filled with bloodlust, Albel swung his katana in an upward-diagonal cut that would have cleaved the Duke in half had he not jumped back.

Yet still its tip grazed the chestplate, flinging sparks into his face. Vox looked down at the damage done to his armour and cursed. Despite the weakness of the attack, a furrow was carved deeply in the armour.

_And it was only a graze, If he had hit me with full force…_

He only got that far before Albel was on him again. Darting left and right, the katana weaved a pattern of death in its slashes and cuts.

Albel was better than Vox in terms of speed, the latter in power. The Duke batted aside Nox's blade and lunged in with a quick stab to the latter's chest. The lilth noble deftly ducked to his left. Rising just as quickly, his katana slashed ahead, eager to take off Vox's forearm.

With a twist of a wrist, Vox released the longsword, its tip falling first to lodge upright in the stone. Withdrawing his arm just before the bloodthirsty blade, he spun, adding to his already considerable momentum as his armoured left foot reverse kicked into Albel's chest.

Slamming into the rock wall, Albel spat out a wad of blood. Barely controlled hatred blazed in his eyes, 'sha qi' liberally bled out of him. The Airyglyphian soldiers around them went pale as they encountered the aura, the weaker ones kneeled over and greeted the remains of their breakfast.

Only Vox remained unaffected as he strode to his sword, his glazed lingered over it for a moment before snapping back to Albel... and his surroundings.

And he grinned.

Shouting the Duke's name, Albel charged, intent to end the maggot's life.

One last strike.

A small rock flew out, clipping the katana's _tsuba_. Althought light, it was enough to knock the blade out of position to drift to Albel's right..

That, however, was enough.

Finally grasping the longsword, Vox swung downwards with all his force. Connecting mightly with the katana, the shock and vibration numbed Albel's fingers and the blade flew over the battlements.

_Its not over yet, _boy.

An armoured shoulder smashed into Albel's already bruised chest. Unable to keep his balance, he landed on his back. Swinging lazily, the tip of the longsword landed at Albel's throat.

The victor smiled. Coldly. "You still have a lot to learn, _boy._" His words dripped with contempt.

Albel's face was a curious mix. Shock, anger, anguish and finally resignation. His eyes clouded over as he looked away.

"...Kill me..."

Vox raised an eyebrow, "And why should I?"

"...I assualted you... Thats all the reason you need to kill me."

" 'Self-defence'? You have got to be kidding me. Frankly I rather you hang around a little longer." Vox smirked.

"Just kill me and be done with it already!" Albel snarled up at the laughing duke.

Laughter drifted over the battlements as the Duke sheathed his sword. The soldiers looked on in amazement. Not only was he not going to kill Albel, he was going to keep his weapon in front of Albel's face!

"...The kingdom still has need for a worm like you. Get stronger before you try something like that again."

"Dammit Vox! If you don't kill me here i'll tear you apart with my own bare hands!"

"With your sole remaining one? I think not. And frankly i've wasted enough time dealing with you. As you know, I don't like defeating weaklings."

A icy spear drove through Albel's heart as those words struck home. He covered his eyes with his arm as Vox returned inside the castle. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he lay on the stone.

"RRRAAAWWWRRR!"

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"Mi'lord, was that wise?" Demetiro asked as he walked behind his Captain.

"Albel? We need him to get out of his slump. The new Black Brigade will need a Captain. Despite my misgivings, he's still one of the best sword fighters around."

"But... He'll be out for your blood now mi'lord..."

Vox's eyes narrowed as he smiled, "And he'll never win. For all his vaunted skills he is still a pawn. And we do not need weak pawns."

To Be Continued...

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Hope that wasn't too bad.

FYI: "sha qi" is killing aura.


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